When cooking rice, it’s usually a good idea to rinse the rice. That gets the dirt, pollution, etc., off of the rice. I suggest putting the rice in the pan and then running water over it. Cover the rice by a bit and then use your fingers to swish it around a bit. Then drain the rice and repeat once or twice, until the water no longer turns white and cloudy. Then it’s ready for cooking.

I’ve heard that it’s possible to be non-specific when measuring the rice and water, just making sure you’ve got a finger’s width of water above the level of the rice. I’ve tried that and have not found it to be too successful. Instead, it’s usually a good idea to to add twice as much water as rice (e.g., 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water or 2 to 4). Some types of rice, like basmati, should have less water, like 1.5 cups to 1 cup of rice.

15 minutes is usually an appropriate simmering time after bringing it to a boil. Don’t peek and make sure it’s tightly sealed. After that time is up, fluff the rice with a fork to allow it to expand and finish cooking. Let if “fluff” for 5-10 minutes and you’re good to go.

Some people suggest pre-soaking the rice, but I don’t go that far. If you do, make sure you draing it very well after or else count that water towards the amount you need.